1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a heat pump apparatus having a combination of an outdoor unit, an indoor unit, and a hydro unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
A heat pump is an apparatus to transport heat transferred from a high-temperature site to a low temperature site in a reverse direction by absorbing heat from the low-temperature site and providing the absorbed heat to the high-temperature site. The heat pump uses the heat produced and recovered during the refrigeration cycle involving compression, condensation and evaporation of the refrigerant to perform cooling and heating (air-to-air mode), and hot-water supply (air-to-water mode).
In such a heat pump, a maximum temperature to which the water may be heated during the operation of hot-water supply (air-to-water mode) may be limited to be equal to, or lower than, about 50° C., which is the temperature for heating (air-to-air mode).
A separate heater may be needed to increase water temperature, and accordingly installation expenses and operation cost may increase.